The Finale...!!!

The pressure built, last day and still too much work needs to be done. The question loomed in our minds, would we be submitting an unfinished cow? Working through the day, less and less needed to be done. Suddenly, it didn’t look so grim. Working until the end, we finished. Finally. Standing back and looking at it one last time before we submit the work. Huge grins covered our faces. Now we just have to wait for the results… That might be harder than finishing Henry on time…

Archibull team with Ms K. Middebrook, Winmalee H.S. Principal

Team with organising teacher Miss Pinto

Team working hard to meet the deadline!

To Barcode, or Not To Barcode?

One side of the cow was on its way to being a ‘Singer’ Sewing Machine, which left the other side rather bare. A decision was made to carve out a barcode on the side, representing the consumer aspect to cotton. It is safe to say that retail keeps our economy afloat, and cotton, or fashion, plays a major part of that.

We then installed a censor, light and 'beeper', so that every time someone walks past, a red light a beep goes off. This is a representation of 'buying', or, once again, the retail and consumer aspect to cotton. Although some emphasis has been placed on cotton in its raw form on our cow, it easily identifiable with the general perception of cotton to represent clothes. In saying this, the clothing industry heavily relies on cotton, and as a result the cotton industry relies on the clothing industry. A vital relationship is formed, which is why such a huge emphasis on clothing and retail has been used with the cow.

Lady Bugs...

 On the cow we have decided to create swarms of lady bugs across one side and there is one main reason for this.

While cotton grows on the farm, it faces many predators including aphids and caterpillars. When farmers first realised that these bugs were eating the cotton they used harmful insecticides that killed all the aphids and caterpillars but it also killed the natural predators to aphids which are lady bugs. A new “self-defence” gene was put in the cotton to kill the caterpillars, the insecticides were used less and lady bugs returned to their place in the cotton industry, as the ones who kill the aphids. They are a significant part of helping the cotton grow and do the plant no harm in the process and this is why they deserved a place on our cow.

Lady bug in action

This is a swarm of Lady Bugs on a branch

And this is the start of our swarm... still have a few to go!

Henry's leg now covered in lady bugs!

Beginning stages of our lady bugs...

Cans...!

12^th of October 2012

We are going to turn  Henry into a sewing machine. We wanted the cans to represent cotton thread. This was to represent the making of clothing and the revolution of a sustainable and new fashion. We started to cut the aluminium cans into 2mm to 3mm thick strands where we glued together with hot glue. This is going to be a long and delicate task!

A start of a long journey

24^th of August 2012

 Brainstorming: After the excitement of the unveiling of the bull (‘Henry’), we got onto the difficult job of brainstorming. We were put into groups and drew what Henry should look like. Many ideas were considered, but only a few were chosen to put in the final design.

Brainstorming...

The Archibull… The name implies a mix between one of Australia’s most prestigious art competitions and an animal one should never wave a red rag. So when we were presented with the concept of ‘sustainably clothing a community for a day’, how could we represent it through an artwork using a life-sized fiberglass cow? Ideas started bubbling to the surface. With political and social statements about sustainable development in farming and agriculture. Given the brief to reflect upon cotton, we all pulled our heads together and researched the huge expanse of information that is covered by the term ‘cotton’. Denim jeans, t-shirts, sheets, oil, ethanol, cotton buds, cotton balls… We chose to work with the idea of clothing. How do we make clothing? A sewing machine! A mix of juniors pulled together to produce a vision of a cow with ‘Singer’ painted on the side. With our conveniently still animal, we have chosen to reflect the long process that cotton goes through. We decided to turn one side of the cow into an oversized sewing machine as a symbol to recognise this idea. A barcode was cut into the cow on the other side to reflect the industry of clothing and the idea of individuality, style and trends of fashion.  Stretch your imagination to see how a single, lonely cow (named Henry) can represent a material that stretches through several industries including the agricultural, fabrication and surprisingly reaches into the cooking and livestock industries.

Part of the team discussing ideas.

First few details.

An Unexpected Visitor

Many eyes watched as an oddly shaped fibre-glass creature was being escorted through the gates of Winmalee High School to the Visual Arts facility. Just to wonder what is this, was enough excitement for a day!

Miss Pinto, our visual arts teacher at Winmalee High, revealed to her “favourite” Friday art class that they were chosen to help design the oddly shaped creation sitting in the room next-door.  A roar of excitement and anticipation filled the room and Miss had trouble containing us. This oddly shaped creation was now referred as a bull. As it got carried into the room, the bubble wrap, which was short-lived, was quickly ripped, revealing the unique characteristics of the bull. The ripping stages were carried out as if the students were animalistic, like a dog playing with a chew toy and the students’ really enjoyed it.